The Exception
by piraticalxo
Summary: Life seems easy for Joshua Levi, but being the son of Sam Uley, the great Alpha, has its drawbacks. This is a story about how Josh comes to terms with the challenges that face him, and how he strives to be the exception, rather than the rule.
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

"Yo, Josh, go long!"

Joshua Levi Uley squinted at the sky, tracking the football as it passed the sun. He waited a moment, long enough for the rest of his team to grow increasingly frustrated. Then he crouched, the muscles in his back rippling, and he sprung forward. The teak colour of his exposed skin blurred with the dark green of the surrounding forest as he ran, leaving a trail of soil and leaves behind him.

Josh had run fast enough that he had to wait, arms outstretched, for the ball to reach him. It had travelled far – Milo had a good arm.

"Josh, over here," he heard his mother's voice and he turned around. Emily was leaning against the tree outside of their house; her face looked amused.

He turned back towards the direction of the forest, where his friends were waiting for him. Taking a pen out of the back pocket of his sweatpants, he scribbled a note onto the football. _I've got to go – catch you later. _Then, he walked back a few steps and threw the ball back into the dense forest. They would catch it. They always did.

"What have I said about playing ball so close to the houses?" Emily reprimanded him, but her voice was not angry.

Josh looked around him; there was his house, and garage, and the neighbour's place. He must have run about a mile.

Emily seemed to be thinking the same thing. "It's just taken you twenty seconds to run what would take a normal person five minutes," she said in disbelief.

Josh grinned. "Hey, I never said I was normal."

"So true," Emily's face broke into a wide smile. Her perfect white teeth stood out against her dark skin, the painfully obvious livid red scars fading into insignificance.

"Hurry up and get inside, we've got people over," Emily said over her shoulder as she walked towards the front door of their small house. "And put some clothes on," she added as an afterthought.

Josh smiled to himself and strode towards the house. After scaling the stairs in just three steps, he opened the door to his bedroom.

"Josha!" his little brother Caleb somersaulted off the top bunk bed right into Josh's chest. The deadweight of the five-year old didn't even make Josh flinch. He held the squirming boy by his left ankle and tickled his foot, until the squeals of delight were responded by a yell from downstairs.

"Josh, Cub, living room. Now!" called a man's booming voice. Josh made sure that Caleb was the right way up before dropping him on the rug. The young boy scrambled out of the room and bounded down the staircase.

"Coming!" Josh called back. Shaking his head fondly at his little brother, he grabbed a t-shirt from a pile of scattered clothes and yanked it over his head. He was still pulling it down when he reached the bottom of the stairs.

"That's definitely an interesting theory, Sam," he heard someone say quietly as he reached the kitchen door. He waited outside, trying to decipher who the owner of the voice was. Behind him he could hear his mother and Caleb chatting away in the living room.

"It's all we've got to work with at the moment, Billy," his father muttered in reply. _Ah_, Josh nodded to himself. _Billy Black, of course_. He still made no move to enter the kitchen. Both men were talking in hushed tones – it was clearly not a conversation wanting to be heard. He leaned in closer to the door, his massive body squashed against the doorframe.

"You're right, Sam," Billy continued. "He's the first-born of the new generation. He'll be the marker – the one we'll have to watch."

"Are you concerned?" Sam asked.

Billy hesitated. "No," he said eventually. "Not yet, anyway. There's still some time."

"He's eighteen, Billy," Sam sighed, and Josh leaned in closer. _I'm eighteen_, he thought. _They're talking about me_.

"You turned when you were nineteen, Sam," Billy reminded him.

"And as far as we know, that particular feature is not hereditary. Our generation turned at younger and younger ages with the presence of the Cullens."

"But like I said, Josh is the _first_ –"

Billy was cut off by the entrance of Emily and Caleb into the kitchen. Josh had been so engrossed in the private conversation that he hadn't even noticed them squeeze past him. He edged into the kitchen guiltily as his mother threw him a significant, warning look from across the dining table. He hurried into his seat.

"Hey Josh," Billy said loudly, wheeling himself to a space at the table. "How are things?"

"Good, thanks," Josh replied, grabbing a handful of potatoes. "Hey mom?" he said with his mouth full of food.

"Honestly, you boys eat like animals," she said reproachfully. Josh caught his father's eye and spluttered, choking on his mouthful of food. "And yes, Josh?"

"No offence to Billy," Josh swallowed his food and winked at the old man in the wheelchair.

"None taken," Billy waved at him to continue.

"You said we had _people_ over. Plural. I know Billy's worth two men and all but I was wondering if we were expecting someone else? That, and there's another place setting." He gestured to the empty seat on the opposite side of the table.

"Oh, Jake's coming over," Emily replied.

Josh smiled at the thought of his favourite uncle. He didn't see a lot of Jake, who was also his godfather – he tended to stay over the other end of the reservation, closer to the Cullens.

Josh had not grown up with the same prejudice and suspicions of the Cullens that his father's generation had. Ever since Jake's imprinting on the Cullen daughter, pack rules meant that any animosity between the wolves and vampires had to end. He had only met the vampire family a few times, some members more than others.

Nessie already had the physicality of a teenager when Josh first met her – he was two days old – but now her rapid growth had stopped and her natural age had caught up with her physical age. She was the prettiest girl that Josh knew, and that was saying something, as the Quileutes produced exceptionally good-looking descendants.

"Jake never comes over," Caleb said, sounding surprised.

"He's busy a lot of the time, Cub," Sam responded. 'Cub' was Jake's nickname for Caleb, and it had kind of stuck – Jake thought it witty and appropriate, given the situation. Josh used to have his own – 'J-Dog' – but its usage had waned over the last few months. Given the conversation he had just overheard, Josh could guess why.

It was frustrating playing the waiting game with the whole wolf thing. Like Billy had said, he was the first-born of the pack's children, and it would him who would act as the indicator for the rest of the kids. Jake didn't have any children of his own, so if a new pack were to evolve, Josh would be the rightful Alpha. Until then, Sam and Jake kept the group together, although they did not run as often as they used to. In fact, Sam, and most of the others, had stopped running altogether. What with the new generation of pack children, the wolves had other priorities.

Josh's best friend was struggling with the same frustrations, too. Milo was about six months younger than Josh and the second kid to be born (Jared and Kim's first) – that meant that he was the most likely to turn after Josh. It was all just one big waiting game, and, as the previous lot had proved, nothing was impossible.

A loud knocking at the door announced Jacob's arrival and Josh leapt up from his chair to greet him. As he opened the door, he was immediately tackled in a bear-like hug, his feet leaving the air. When Jake put him back down, Josh had to stretch to release his muscles from the severe squashing they had just endured.

"Thanks, Jake," he moaned, and then flashed him a wide grin.

"No problem. How's my favourite guy?"

"Oh, Cub's in the kitchen," Josh joked, leading Jake through the hall. "Not bad, thanks. I'm glad school's out."

"JAKE!" Caleb squealed and barrelled into him. Jake pretended to buckle under the boy's weight and sank to the floor, groaning in mock-pain. Caleb laughed, attempting to climb up the man-mountain of Jake, before he was whisked away by Emily and put back in his seat.

"Hi everyone. Sorry I'm late, bit of a situation down at…" Jake trailed off, looking out of the window in the direction of Forks. "Bit of a situation with Nessie," he finished.

"Is everything all right?" Emily asked, concerned. Jake slid into his seat and began piling food on his plate.

"Yeah, everything's fine now," he replied, although there was a distinctly wistful tone to his voice. Josh rolled his eyes – he had seen this behaviour before. The whole imprinting thing was kind of freaky, but he was so used to it that it rarely bothered him anymore.

"So, Jake, how is Nessie? We haven't seen her in a while," Sam said between mouthfuls.

"Oh, she's good," Jake responded, putting down his fork. "She's starting Junior year at Forks High in September."

"Junior year already?" Emily's eyes widened. "Time flies so fast."

"Not when you're a vampire," Josh smirked, but his comment was ignored.

"I know, it's crazy," Jake agreed with Emily. "She's been there two years now, and we reckon she can probably stay for Senior year too. The Cullens think that if they're careful enough she can get away with it."

"Good, good," Billy said, vaguely. He had been taking furtive little glances at Josh all evening, and they had not gone unnoticed. Josh was sure that there was more to the conversation he had overheard, and that Billy and his father would be resuming it at a later date. He scowled at the food on his plate.

"She's got a lot of friends," Jake was still talking about Nessie. "Girls and boys."

"And from what I've heard," Billy resumed the conversation as if he had been there all the time. "One boy in particular. A Senior, did you say?"

Josh took a fleeting glance at Jake, expecting some sort of change in the happy expression he always wore when he spoke of Nessie. There wasn't any.

"Unlucky, Jake," Josh said, and the rest of the table turned to look at him. "Bit of competition, eh?"

The way that Jake looked at Josh was annoyingly complacent. "If she's happy, I'm happy. That's the way things are." Once again, Josh's attempts at conversation – however provocative they may have been – were rebuffed.

Jake put down his cutlery, took a long swig from his cup, and stood up. Everyone looked at him in surprise.

"Thanks for dinner, Em," he picked up his plate and put it into the open dishwasher. "It was lovely, as always."

"You're leaving?" Billy asked, staring curiously at his son.

"Yeah, I should probably be getting back to –"

Josh felt as if flames had been ignited in his stomach, and he was suddenly furious. His abrupt rise from his chair caused his cup to fall, spilling juice everywhere. "Nessie," he spat, finishing Jake's sentence. Everyone in the room turned to look at him in alarm.

"Josh, sit down," his father commanded, but Josh remained standing.

"It's always about Nessie. Nessie, Nessie, _Nessie_," Josh felt the fire rise, spreading to his chest.

"I said, _sit down_," Sam's voice was dripping with Alpha command, but it had no effect on Josh.

"When are you going to get a life and realise that maybe she doesn't want you around all the time?" It was as if Josh was not present in his own mind – as if he was watching the scene unfold from an outside perspective. He implored himself to stop talking, to sit back down and finish eating, but he had no power over his mouth.

"Josh –" Emily tried a different approach to Sam's, her voice was calm and comforting.

"When are you going to realise that there are other people on this planet? And that the world," he kicked his chair out from behind him so that it toppled to the floor, "does _not_ revolve around _Nessie_!"

And with that, Josh left the kitchen, flung open the door and sprinted into the forest.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

Emily closed the door quietly behind her, and she walked over to the fireplace where the two men were sitting.

"Cub's asleep?" Sam asked as Emily sat down next to him on the sofa.

Emily nodded. "Just about. He was quite upset about Josh."

"He'll be fine," Billy said sagely. "They always are."

"Josh isn't Jacob, Billy," Sam sighed. "This is the first time he's done this."

Billy smiled tightly. "Well maybe this is the change we've been waiting for."

Sam considered this. "You think that…" he trailed off, silently contemplating his own thoughts.

Emily drew her legs up onto the sofa and leaned against her husband, closing her eyes. Sam took hold of her hand and they twisted their fingers together. He studied his wife's face. To him, the three red scars on her face did nothing to cloud her beauty, but they still caused him anguish whenever he looked at them. He stroked her face softly, noticing the way that the orange flames of the fire reflected in her deep black hair.

"Don't worry, he's a sensible kid," he murmured. "And I've got some of the boys out on patrol. Just in case."

"We should be out there," Emily said softly. "What if he's in trouble? What if he's hurt?"

"Then the boys will find him," Sam comforted her and she fell silent again.

"You should be with them," Emily insisted, but she did not let go of Sam's hand.

The door banged loudly and the sound of footsteps reverberated throughout the hall. Emily sat up and looked towards the door, then back at her husband. Her face wore a mask of relief but her eyes were brimming with tears. Sam patted her shoulder, got up off the sofa and made his way out of the living room.

It was quiet in the hall, which meant that Josh had already gone upstairs. Sam stood for a minute, gazing up the stairs at his sons' bedroom door, before slowly returning to the living room.

Emily and Billy looked at him expectantly as he sat back down on the sofa. He nodded curtly, once, and Emily released the breath she had been holding.

"It's started," Billy stated, and stared into the fire. "And it's also getting dark."

"I'll take you back, Bill," Sam got back up and took hold of Billy's wheelchair.

"That'd be great, Sam, if it's not a bother."

"Of course it's not," he backed out of the living room, pulling Billy's chair behind him. "You'll be all right here, Em?"

"I'll be fine," she smiled, but it was a sad smile. "It's really happening, isn't it?"

"I think so. I can feel it," Sam said gravely, looking deep into Emily's eyes.

"See you later, Emily. Thanks for this evening. And I'm sorry about Jacob," Billy said as Sam went to get his keys from the kitchen.

"No, Billy, don't be sorry. We should be apologising for Josh's behaviour. Those things he said, I –"

Billy held up his hand and Emily stopped talking. "Don't be silly. It's to be expected, what with…well, that with everything that boy's going through right now."

"Thanks for staying. Apologise to Jake for us though, will you?"

"If you insist," Billy smiled as Sam returned from the kitchen. The two men left the house with a quiet _click_ of the door, and Emily heard the car's rumble as it started up.

She sat for a while, her eyes closed as she contemplated the evening's events. She knew this day would come eventually, when her son was no longer the cheerful little boy she knew and loved. He was turning into a man, and it was painful for any mother to watch.

She put out the fire and made her way upstairs, pausing outside Josh and Caleb's bedroom. Quietly, she placed her hand on the doorknob and turned it, peering into the darkness. Two figures lay under their blankets. On the top bunk, Caleb's little body was curled into a ball, rising and falling with the deep breathing of sleep. There was a tugging at her heart as she saw the small black tufts of his hair just peeking out of the huddle of blankets. Her Cub. How was he going to deal with the fact that his big brother, his best friend, was not going to want him around as much as he used to? The thought that her little five-year old would one day have to go through what Josh was suffering – and what Sam and the other boys suffered – filled Emily with fright.

At the bottom of the bunk bed, Josh sprawled diagonally across the sheets. He was so tall now, and so big. She was filled with a sudden desire to curl up next to him, to hold onto him and never let go. But instead, she closed the door, turned off the landing light and waited for her husband to return home.

Just one big waiting game.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

"So technically, I'm older than Jake?" Josh grinned, looking pointedly at his godfather.

Sam glared at his son. "Yes, I suppose so, but –" He was interrupted by Josh's guffaw. "_That is not important right now_," Sam continued, stressing every word with such authority that Josh sank back into silence.

"Have I missed anything, Billy?" Sam turned to the head of the table, where Billy's wheelchair was stationed.

"No, I think we've covered it all. Josh, do you have any questions?"

Suddenly, all eyes in the room were on Josh, who sat squirming in his seat. It had been his father who had arranged the small meeting, so that Josh could learn more about what was happening to him. It was supposed to make him feel more relaxed and understood, but in reality it just made him uncomfortable.

"Yeah," he said eventually, dragging out the word as he hesitated. "Just one."

"Go on," Billy nodded.

"Do I…do I tell the others about this?"

"The others? Who do you mean, son?" Sam leaned forward in his seat.

"You know, like Milo and Will. And Sarah," he added as an afterthought. Sarah was Will's twin, and as their father Paul had been one of the original pack, there was no reason why Sarah would not change too.

"That's a good question, Josh," Sam said. "But it's not up to me. It's really up to their parents." He shrugged. "What do you think, Bill?"

"I was just thinking," Josh interrupted, "about how lucky I am that I've got you guys here," he gestured around the table. "But seeing as I'm the first new kid," he smirked, "I think it would be cool if the other guys had me to turn to. If I could give them some sort of warning, so they don't get all freaked out when they blow up at their family and friends," he flashed an apologetic smile at Jake, "or when they find they can run like a hundred miles an hour, or –"

"We get the picture, son," Sam smiled.

"Right. Well. Yeah. That's it."

"It's a good idea, J-Dog," Jake spoke up. He had gone back to using the old nickname. "I sure would have liked some help and info on the whole thing."

"Sorry, son, I wasn't much use in that department," Billy said.

"But like I said," Sam repeated. "I think it should be up to the parents. Maybe they'd like to tell their kids about it all."

"We all _know _about it," Josh replied. "How could we not, when our parents and uncles and godfathers are off running around as wolves? No, it's just the dealing with it that I'm worried about. Some other parents might not be so…observant."

All four of them sat in their own brief reveries for a moment. Embry and his wife, Amber, were going through a rough spot at the moment, which meant that their three kids had been put on the backburner for a bit. Sienna was the eldest of the three, at fifteen, but even seven year-old Jem knew that something was going on.

"I don't see why not," Billy said. "But we'll check it with the other members at the next council meeting."

"One more thing," Josh said quickly. "I still don't get it. Am I, like, immortal now?"

The other three chuckled, and Josh's face turned red.

"It's complicated, son," Sam said. "But basically, yes. Until you decide to settle down, and stop phasing, you will not age."

"Yeah, I thought so. It's just weird thinking about it when it's actually happening to you. But still, I'm older than Jake."

"You're just a late developer," Jake scoffed.

"I guess I inherited part of that gene, if nothing else," Billy said, and everyone looked at him curiously. "Did you really think twenty years ago that I'd still be alive today?"

The others pondered this, quietly. Whilst diabetes had caused Billy to be very sick, Josh could never imagine the man dying.

"And on that morbid note, are we done here?" Jake asked.

"I think so, no more questions Josh?"

"Nope, I think I'm good. Jake, you can get back to Nessie now." Jake froze for a second before he realised that Josh was joking. He picked up the first thing that came to hand – a pencil – and chucked it at Josh.

"Boys, cool it," Billy sighed.

"See you later, guys. I'm going to see Sasha," Josh and Jake raced out of the room, mock-fighting as they did so.

"Sasha?" Billy looked at Sam questioningly.

"Some girl he's met," Sam replied. Billy raised his eyebrows. "Trust me, Emily and I have been trying to get it out of him for weeks. He's not saying anything."

"You think he loves her?"

"Jesus, Billy, he's only been seeing this girl a few weeks."

Billy shrugged. "So he didn't –"

"No," Sam said firmly. "Believe me, if he had, we'd know. We'd all know."

"The exception, not the rule," Billy sighed, as Sam wheeled him out of the door.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

"Hey pups."

Everyone in the circle looked up as Josh sat down in the gap next to Milo and Sienna. He dumped the cardboard box of drinks in front of him, picking out a green bottle from the pile.

"_Pups_?" Sienna glowered at him, grabbing a coke from the box.

"Ever since he phased he thinks he's above us," Milo said. "We underlings are just the puppies." He stuck his tongue out at Josh, who aimed a bottle at his face.

"Who wants a beer?" he held out a green bottle and several members raised their hands.

"No, Frankie, you're ten. No beer for you," Sienna leaned across the circle and grabbed the bottle out of her brother's hand.

"It sucks having an older sister," Frankie grumbled, choosing a soft drink.

"Tell me about it," Will pretended to whisper.

"Will, Sarah's your twin," Grace, Milo's sister, said, stating the obvious.

Sarah smirked. "I'm older than him by two minutes."

"And she never lets me forget it," Will winked conspiringly at Frankie.

"Okay guys," Josh raised his voice over the chatting group. "Sarah, he was only joking, don't get mad. And Will, shut it." The younger members of the group tittered. "We've got a lot to talk about today, but first, I would like to welcome our newest members of our council."

"This is hardly a council. All we do is sit on the ground, drink beer and tell ghost stories," Will pointed out.

"True, but that's only because up until now we've had nothing to talk about."

"And now we do," Milo finished, grinning at his best friend.

"Right. So, I'd like to welcome Frankie," he pointed at the chubby mop-haired boy who had stolen the beer, "and Jem," Frankie nudged his little brother, who waved, "the sons of Embry and Amber. Also, Milo and Grace's younger sisters Beth and Lucy," the two girls whose arms were linked smiled shyly. "Then there's Maxie - Brady and Carla's kid," everyone turned to smile at the tall eight-year old with the long, shiny, black plait, "and my own little brother, Caleb, commonly known as Cub."

Once everyone had settled down again, Josh started to talk.

"We all know why we're here," he began, every eye fixed on him. "Something happened recently which changes a lot of stuff. It's something we've been around all our lives, and have been expecting for some time now. It's not a bad thing, by any means, and I have called our group together so that we can discuss it. I have been given permission by the Elders to talk to you guys about this, and you can ask – and answer – questions."

A stir went around the circle, but Josh put his hand up and the noise ceased.

"A few weeks ago, I experienced the phasing process. It was odd, it was frightening, but I had the help of my father and the Elders to get me through it. You have to remember that this is a new experience for me, too, and although you may think you are prepared for it, you are wrong. You may have seen your parents phase," his gaze settled on Maxie, whose father Brady was the only parent of the assembled group who was still running. "But I am here to help you through the actual process. Any questions so far?"

Grace raised her hand, and Josh nodded at her to continue. "Are you saying that we're all going to…you know, phase?" she asked.

"Good question. And the answer is: I don't know. We can't know until it happens, and that's the scary thing. We all carry the gene within us, that's why we're in this group, but whether or not it will carry forth…we'll have to wait and see."

"Are some of us more likely to than others?" Sienna asked.

Josh thought for a moment before speaking. "With the previous lot, our parent's generation, it was mainly the boys. Leah was the only girl who it happened to. But that doesn't mean it won't happen again." Sienna nodded.

Will raised his hand. "What makes you start phasing?"

"Another good one. We've all heard the stories, about the Spirit Warriors. The Quileute wolves' natural enemies are the Cold Ones: the vampires. The arrival of the Cullens brought on a fresh wave of new wolves, in our fathers. The Cullens are still here, and I don't know whether this is causing us to do the same. But it's my theory. Until the vampires leave, the wolves will always be here to protect the tribe."

"Do we need protecting from the Cullens?" Beth interjected.

"No. The Cullens are not here to harm us or any other people on this land. Jacob Black imprinted on the Cullen child, which automatically makes them untouchable. They are not to be harmed. Got that?"

Apart from a brief scowl from Milo, whose family found it difficult to accept the "natural enemies" of their kind, there was a general nod of assent.

"So what are we supposed to do? If we change, I mean. If there's nothing to protect the tribe from, what is the point in us being here?" Josh listened to Sarah's questions and nodded.

"You're right, there's nothing to protect the tribe from _at the moment_. But there may come a time – we've all heard the stories from our fathers – when something new comes to the area. Something unlike the Cullens. Something that wants to harm our people. That's when we step in."

"But we could be waiting years for that," Frankie whined.

"Then we wait," Josh said simply.

"How come Jake and Brady don't get older?" Josh wasn't sure whom this question had come from, but he answered anyway.

"When you phase, your body changes. Even before the actual transformation, you will grow. You'll notice that your fathers are a lot bigger than most of the other men on the reservation." There were a few nods around the circle. "But we also change in other ways, too. For one thing, we heal a lot quicker, so if we get an injury it's better a lot sooner."

"Woah, cool," Frankie grinned. "Can we see?"

"I don't know…" Josh hesitated.

"Please?"

"C'mon Josh!"

"Yeah, don't hold out on us, big guy," Milo thumped him on the arm. Josh scowled at him but picked up a sharp stone from the ground.

"You sure you want to see this? It's pretty gross."

"Just do it already," Frankie persisted, and Josh rolled his eyes.

He stuck out his arm, and dragged the rock across his brown skin. It was a deep cut, and where the skin had split red pools of blood were surfacing. He waited a short while, so that the cut looked as impressive as possible, and held it up to the circle. Lucy shrieked and hid her head in her sister's arm, but everyone else looked on in morbid fascination.

Before their eyes, the cut seemed to bind together as if a zip had been drawn across it. The skin was no longer red raw, just a faint pink, and where there had once been a gaping gash was just a fading white line. Josh wiped the blood off his arm, and there were gasps as he showed the group again.

"Awesome!" Jem cried, to the amusement of the rest of the circle.

"But you still didn't say why some of them age and some don't," Grace pointed out.

"Alright, bossy, I was getting to that part. So, as I just disgustingly demonstrated, there are some major advantages to this wolf thing." There were some appreciative laughs from around the circle. "But to be this…this _thing_, you have to be strong. You have to make sure you're as fit as you can be. Which is why, until you decide to stop running, your body does not age."

"So that's why my dad looks way older than Jake," Will nodded in understanding.

"Yeah. When our parents settled down, had families, they realised they had other responsibilities. They didn't want to be stuck in a sixteen-year old's body when their wives and kids were getting older."

"So will you stop growing?" Frankie asked, looking at Josh in wonder.

"Yup, I guess so. But I'd say I'm plenty big enough, wouldn't you?"

Everyone laughed as they admitted this was true. Josh was definitely the tallest and most muscular out of all the boys – and girls – there that night.

Josh's eyes swept the circle and he noticed that the younger ones appeared to be drifting off. Lucy was curled up next to her sister, and although he was fighting to stay awake, Jem's eyes were drooping. Caleb was already asleep next to Milo.

"It's getting late," he said, to groans from the others. "Everyone's tired," he defended, "we should probably get going."

Apart from a few grumbles, everyone staggered to their feet and drifted off in the direction of their homes. Milo fell into step beside Josh as he carried the sleeping Caleb.

"That was some speech, bro," he said. "You really got them going."

"That wasn't the point," he replied, glancing behind him. Grace was dragging her two younger sisters along huffily, trying to catch up with the boys. "I just want everyone to be prepared."

"How many do you reckon we'll get?"

Josh knew what Milo was talking about, but he didn't want to discuss it anymore. Milo was so eager to join the elite group that he was certain he would be phasing soon, but with so many kids Josh knew that nothing was certain. He was saved answering by Grace, who had finally managed to catch up with them.

"Milo, seriously," she complained. "Can't you just take her?" Milo swept Lucy into his arms, where she promptly fell asleep on his shoulder.

"See you later," Josh said hurriedly, turning off the main road onto the narrow lane where their house sat. "I've got to get the little guy into bed. See you, girls."

When he had tucked Caleb into his bed – still fully dressed – Josh did not prepare for bed himself. Instead, he swung out of the window – much quicker than using the stairs – and seated himself down on the porch. The moon was low in the sky, squatting over the trees. Apart from the chirping of night birds and the rustle of leaves, everything was quiet.

Josh sat out all night, contemplating his new life. Everything was different now.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

"You heard about Sienna?" Sam asked his wife as he sat down to breakfast next to his youngest son.

Emily nodded. "Josh mentioned it. Poor girl."

Sam picked at his bacon thoughtfully. "I hear she's getting some stick from the others."

"She is?" Emily said, appalled. "In what way?"

"Well," Sam swallowed his food before speaking. "One in particular. Sarah."

Emily looked aghast. "Paul and Rebecca's Sarah? But they're best friends!"

Sam shrugged. "Apparently Sarah thought she would be the first to…you know. Josh told me that Sienna was never really interested in it all, never really wanted it that much. Turns out Sarah did."

"Still, that girl needs all the support she can get right now," Emily sighed, turning back to the stove.

Sienna was the second child to go through the phase, after Josh had done a few weeks previously. Ever since her first transformation, Josh had been with her, helping and guiding her, which was more than could be said for her parents. Embry and Amber were currently going through a messy divorce, and the last thing they needed was their eldest child off running about as a wolf.

It had been Josh who had first noticed the signs – he was fairly close to Sienna and her family, and had been aware of her sudden change in temperament. Unlike Josh's increasingly frequent angry outbursts, Sienna had become more reclusive, more distant. She had shut herself up into her world and finally, when it all became too much to bear, she had snapped. Josh – in the Alpha position – had felt the change at once.

It had also been Josh who had alerted Sam to Sienna's outside troubles – the issues beyond her entry to the pack. Sam had always been very tolerant of the kids, understanding that they were all different and would react differently to the strain of living with the pack. However, he could not overlook Sarah's spiteful – and, frankly, irrational – behaviour. She was always the more outspoken of the twins, but she had a loyal heart. Sam sensed that there was something deeper to her anger.

Sam picked up his empty plate and added it to the pile beside the sink. He gave Emily a long kiss goodbye – causing Caleb to squirm and make retching gestures – ruffled his son's hair, and left the house.

Billy was waiting for him by his car, his wheelchair stationed on the edge of the road. He smiled as Sam walked over.

"Jake drop you off?" Sam asked, levering Billy into the car.

"Yes," Billy replied, as Sam hoisted the wheelchair into the back. "He was coming by here anyway – I though I'd save you the trip."

Sam climbed into the front seat, started the engine and pulled out into the road.

"First stop Embry?" he asked once they were driving.

Billy shook his head. "He can't. He's having some trouble with Amber, and he needs to sort the kids out."

Sam frowned, staring straight ahead. "Sienna's his kid too," he said gruffly.

Billy sighed. "Is she out with Josh?"

"Yes, we'll go there now." He took a right turn, heading towards the smaller roads which led towards the forest and away from the town. "She's taken this well, considering…considering everything."

The two men sat in amiable silence as they wound their way through the trees, eventually leaving the grey roads and turning onto narrow dirt paths, the car's large tyres sinking into the ground in the softer spots.

"We'll stop here," Sam said, edging the car off the track and cutting the engine. After extracting the wheelchair from the back of the car, he set it up and helped Billy into it. Billy grimaced at the muddy pathway ahead of him.

"You're forgetting who's pushing you," Sam smiled when he saw Billy's expression. They set off into deeper forest, Sam practically carrying Billy in the chair so that the wheels barely touched the ground.

When they reached the clearing, Sam had to adjust his eyes as the fog descended over them. Fuzzy shapes darted around them as he wheeled Billy to the centre. The shapes grew larger and more distinct as they got closer, eventually coming to a stop in front of the men.

Josh, the larger of the two, had fur as black as his father's had been. His large eyes were as dark as coal but not sinister. They had a friendly twinkle as he playfully nudged the other wolf with his nose. Sienna was much paler, a light beige in colour, with brown eyes. Despite being both shorter and thinner than Josh, you could not ignore the muscles rippling along her flank. They were both beautiful.

Billy let out a long, low whistle from his chair. Sam had forgotten that Billy had not yet seen Josh in this form, and remembered the moment when he first saw his son like this. He had to admit, it was breath-taking.

"Looking good, Josh," Billy said loudly, and the black creature grinned wolfishly.

"I'm guessing you guys are going to stay like this for the duration of this…this meeting," Billy deduced. Even in his fragile state, his voice had the air of the Elders. Sam knew that would never leave him, no matter how old or sick he got.

Both Josh and Sienna nodded, and Sam thought he saw Josh roll his eyes. It was going to take some getting used to, but he was glad that Josh had someone else to go through it with. Sam had voiced his concerns about Josh being alone to both Billy and Emily, but he seemed to be getting on well with Sienna.

After Billy's 'meeting' had ended, and he had been dropped home along with Sienna, Sam and Josh were alone in the car. Both he and Josh were big and muscular, and with Josh riding shotgun there was very little space for movement.

"So, how's it going with Sasha?" Sam asked, breaking the silence they had been in ever since Sienna had gotten out.

"Good," Josh nodded.

"Are we going to meet her?"

Josh smiled. "We'll see." Sam had thought that was the end of the conversation before Josh spoke again. "I think you've met her before. She lives on River Drive. They own the restaurant."

Sam frowned, trying to remember. "The Crawfords?"

"Yeah. Sasha's the eldest of their kids."

"I think I remember. She's a pretty girl."

Josh grinned. "I think so."

They pulled up outside of the house and Josh jumped out. Sam felt the car rise slightly as Josh's weight left the seat and he tried to suppress his grin. Emily had the door open before either of them had reached the path. The warm yellow glow from inside the house illuminated the growing darkness of the evening, and Sam hurried to catch up with his son. Emily waited by the door, ruffling Josh's hair as he passed through. When Sam reached her he planted a kiss on her forehead. His lips brushed across her scars – their old routine.

Sam was interrupted by a thudding against his leg. Rather than it rebounding, the weight remained there, still. He looked down, and saw his youngest son's arms wrapped around his knee. Emily shook her head in amusement at Caleb, scooped him off Sam's leg and carried him towards the kitchen. Sam remained in the hallway, watching his wife and son walk away from him. As if she knew he was watching, Emily looked back over her shoulder and smiled enigmatically. There would be time later.


End file.
